Zero Carb Part 3

I began investigating the Zero Carb lifestyle more out of interest in using it short term to lose weight quickly or in case of a long stall. I was thinking that going ZC made some sense because if Low Carb is good Zero must be better. That's always been my mentality unfortunately. If one pill is good 2 must be better, etc. At least I felt it would be harmless in the short term no matter what people say about the need for plant matter in our diet as a source of nutrition. And of course, fiber.

There are some who claim that there are superior health benefits to eating ZC as opposed to a Very Low Carb (VLC) diet. They believe that eating carbs in any form is the root cause of all diseases of civilization. While it's clear to me that eating refined carbs, grains, and some fruit cultivars is responsible for the diseases of civilization and the symptom of obesity, it's really not necessary to avoid vegetables and fruit completely to achieve optimal health. Hunter-gatherer societies of the past and present included some forms of carbohydrates other than those found in meat. The exception seems to be the people of the far north where no plants were available. Otherwise, these people ate from plant sources, as well as the very lean meat available in the wild. Granted, most of these people ate one or just a few wild staples from the plant world. And no cultivated fruits and vegetables at all.

In conclusion to this little series on ZC, there seems to be only one reason, and one only that I can see, for eating ZC. It eliminates cravings for a lot of people. I've never had a problem with craving carbs or any food in particular. Those that do, might want to look to ZC for an answer if the cravings are unmanageable. But in the long run I doubt that it would be a sustainable diet for life. Boredom has always been the bane of weight loss diets that rely on one or two foods only. A few folks will be able to remain ZC for a long period of time. But most of us need more than just meat and water to keep our spirits up as well as our waistlines down.